Why Manufacturers Can’t Find Workers: Fixing the Frontline Recruiting Process with Sam Beiler
TL;DR
Manufacturers struggling to hire frontline workers may not have an applicant problem. They may have a recruiting process problem.
Sam Beiler, co-founder and CEO of Boostpoint, joins Lisa Ryan to break down how manufacturers can reach machine operators, welders, CNC machinists, maintenance technicians, warehouse employees, and other frontline workers who aren't actively searching job boards.
They discuss social media recruiting, passive candidates, pay transparency, applicant screening, text-message follow-up, interview no-shows, and why speed matters once someone applies.
The big takeaway: Before spending more money to generate applicants, make sure your recruiting process can convert the applicants you already have.
Episode Description
“We can't find people.”
Manufacturers have been saying it for years. But what if the problem isn't simply a shortage of workers?
In this episode of The Manufacturers Network Podcast, Lisa Ryan talks with Sam Beiler, co-founder and CEO of Boostpoint, about what manufacturers may be missing when recruiting frontline and skilled-trades employees.
Sam grew up around a small- to midsize manufacturing business before building his expertise in social media advertising and recruitment marketing. That combination gives him an interesting perspective on the hiring problem: Manufacturers are often trying to recruit today's workforce using channels and processes built for a different kind of job seeker.
Reaching Frontline Workers Beyond Traditional Job Boards
Job boards can reach active candidates who are already looking for work. But many potentially strong employees already have jobs and aren't spending their evenings searching Indeed, LinkedIn, or ZipRecruiter.
They are spending time on social media.
Sam explains how platforms such as Facebook and Instagram can put manufacturing job opportunities in front of passive candidates, including CNC machinists, welders, machine operators, maintenance technicians, and warehouse employees who might consider a better opportunity even though they aren't actively job hunting.
The goal isn't to abandon job boards. It's to stop relying on a single recruiting channel to reach everyone.
Why More Applications Don't Automatically Mean Better Hiring
Generating applicants is only the beginning.
Manufacturers also need to look at cost per qualified candidate, candidate quality, response time, interview show rates, and what actually happens after someone raises their hand.
Sam also discusses how AI-assisted job applications are adding more noise to the recruiting process. Candidates can apply to far more positions with far less effort, which makes the employer's process increasingly important.
Getting 100 applications isn't much of a win if nobody has a good system for turning the right applicants into conversations, interviews, and hires.
How Quickly Should You Respond to a Manufacturing Job Applicant?
As quickly as possible.
The longer an employer waits to contact an applicant, the harder that person can be to reach.
Sam recommends automating the first text message so candidates receive an immediate response while the opportunity is still fresh. That doesn't mean handing the entire recruiting process over to automation.
Use technology for speed. Then get a human involved.
For manufacturers competing for skilled workers, waiting several days to contact a qualified applicant can mean losing that person before the conversation ever starts.
What Should Manufacturers Put in a Job Ad?
What does a frontline candidate want to know when a job opportunity appears in their social media feed?
Pay. Location. Benefits.
Sam explains why manufacturers shouldn't bury that information beneath paragraphs about company history or generic descriptions of the organization.
Give candidates enough information to determine whether the opportunity fits their lives. Additional context can come later.
Lisa and Sam also discuss pay transparency and why clearly communicating compensation can save time for both employers and candidates.
Qualify Candidates Before You Add More Noise
More applicants aren't necessarily better applicants.
For manufacturing positions requiring specific skills or experience, employers can use screening questions early in the application process.
If a welding position requires two years of previous experience, for example, that requirement can be addressed before a recruiter spends time pursuing someone who doesn't qualify.
Done well, screening makes the process easier for both the employer and the applicant.
Social Media Recruiting vs. Job Boards
The choice isn't necessarily Facebook versus Indeed.
Sam recommends thinking about two different candidate populations.
Traditional job boards help employers reach active job seekers. Social media can help manufacturers reach passive candidates who aren't currently searching for another job.
A stronger manufacturing recruiting strategy may use both instead of expecting one channel to solve the entire hiring problem.
Before You Spend More Money on Recruiting, Fix the Process
One of the most useful takeaways from the conversation comes down to a simple question:
What happens if 50 qualified candidates show up tomorrow?
Who contacts them?
How quickly?
How are they screened?
What happens next?
Who owns the process?
When a plant needs people, the immediate reaction is often to spend more money generating applicants. But if those questions don't have clear answers, more recruiting spend may simply pour more candidates into a broken system.
Before increasing the recruiting budget, examine what happens to every applicant you're already receiving.
In This Episode, You'll Learn
• Why manufacturers may be solving the wrong recruiting problem
• The difference between active and passive job seekers
• Where frontline and skilled-trades candidates spend time online
• How Facebook and Instagram recruiting can reach manufacturing workers
• Why cost per qualified applicant matters more than raw application volume
• Why candidates disappear or don't show up for interviews
• How quickly employers should respond after someone applies
• How automated text messages can improve the first recruiting touchpoint
• Why automation shouldn't replace the human conversation
• How to screen candidates before the interview
• What hourly workers want to see in manufacturing job ads
• Why pay, location, and benefits should be easy to find
• How pay transparency is changing recruiting
• When social media recruiting makes sense versus traditional job boards
• How manufacturers can build a more repeatable recruiting system
• What to examine before increasing your recruiting budget
About Sam Beiler
Sam Beiler is the co-founder and CEO of Boostpoint, a recruitment marketing platform that helps employers reach frontline workers through social media.
His background combines manufacturing with years of experience in social media advertising and marketing. Boostpoint helps organizations use platforms including Facebook and Instagram to reach and recruit frontline employees.
Learn more about Boostpoint at Boostpoint.com.
You can also connect with Sam Beiler on LinkedIn or reach him directly at sam@boostpoint.com.
About The Manufacturers Network Podcast
The Manufacturers Network Podcast, hosted by Lisa Ryan, CSP, features conversations with manufacturing leaders and industry experts about the people, technology, leadership, and workforce challenges shaping manufacturing.
From employee retention and frontline leadership to AI, automation, recruiting, knowledge transfer, workplace culture, and the skilled workforce, the show focuses on practical ideas manufacturers can actually use.
Topics
Manufacturing recruiting, frontline recruiting, manufacturing workforce, skilled trades recruiting, manufacturing hiring, social media recruiting, recruiting manufacturing employees, CNC machinist recruiting, welder recruiting, passive candidates, Facebook recruiting, Instagram recruiting, manufacturing job ads, employee recruitment, pay transparency, applicant screening, recruiting automation, AI job applications, recruiting process, manufacturing labor shortage, frontline workers, skilled workforce, employee hiring, manufacturing HR
